Welcome to 45th Parallel Literary Magazine

Who are we?

45th Parallel is a literary magazine that features creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, visual art, and comics. The magazine was established in 2015 as a print journal, but has recently moved completely into the digital realm. We publish a new issue every summer.

45th Parallel is affiliated with Oregon State University’s School of Writing, Literature, and Film in Corvallis. It’s managed and edited by MFA student volunteers and undergraduate interns. We also publish interviews with visiting authors, and book reviews.

We’re looking for well-crafted work that challenges readers, and is original in its ideas, themes, or form. For more information about submitting, check out our submissions page.

Our namesake

45th Parallel is a line of latitude equal distance from the equator and the North Pole. We share this line with many countries in the world including: France, Italy, Romania, China and Japan.

 

MASTHEAD

Issue 11

 

  • Anmol Priya Desai | any pronouns | poetry

    Anmol’s work explores family, the cosmos, and American absurdities through poetry.

    editor’s note: I’m interested in all poetry that surprises and enthralls. Some writers I love: Sylvia Plath, Agha Shahid Ali, Russell Edson, Walt Whitman, Anne Carson, Shuzo Takiguchi, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, torrin a. greathouse, Megan Fernandes.


  • Hyrum Blanchard | they/them | creative nonfiction

    Hyrum’s work explores family, religion, and the American West through memoir and documentary poetics.

    editor’s note: I’m interested in all forms of essays with a preference for those with compelling narratives. Writing with a strong undercurrent of subtext always keeps me reading. A few of my current favorite authors are Annie Proulx, Thalia Field, and Jo Ann Beard. 

  • Elyssa Cook | Any Pronouns | Poetry

    Elyssa’s poetry explores ecosystems, gender, the body, its layers, and how we intersect with the world. How do we live so as not to crush? 

    Editor’s Note: I’m interested in poetry that has teeth, nails, words I can gnaw on, textured soundwork, rhythm, and pause. Some writers I love: Natasha Trethewey, Ross Gay, Louise Glück, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kaveh Akbar, Terrance Hayes, Ollie Schminkey, Steven Kleinman, Natalie Diaz.


  • Jem Braithwaite | He/Him | Fiction

    Jem writes short stories often centered around food and eccentric people.

    Editor’s note: My favourite kinds of stories are the ones that are humorous, sad and tense. I love the work of Kazuo Ishiguro, Lorrie Moore, and George Saunders.

  • Cora Lassen | she/they | creative nonfiction

    Cora’s essays explore persona, gender, and community dynamics.

    editor’s note: I’m interested in inquiry-driven nonfiction that unearths more questions than it attempts to answer. I love writing that capably wields humor as a tool. Some favorite writers include Angela Carter, Joyelle McSweeney, Thalia Field, and Andrea Long Chu.

  • Celestina Agabi | she/her | creative nonfiction

    Celestina’s work explores cultural inheritance, interior spaces, and how people conceptualize and create a home. 

    Editor’s note: I’m fascinated by the use of lyric and hybridity in creative nonfiction. Some of my favorite writers are Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, Claudia Rankine, Ander Monson, Amy Leach, and Sarah Minor. 

    When it comes to other mediums of art, I appreciate a daring use of high contrast colors, and I find myself especially interested in how value and space is utilized. My two favorite painters are Harmonia Rosales and Maxfield Parrish.

  • Madelyn Whelan is a queer poet originally from the Boston area and is currently an MFA candidate for Oregon State University's MFA program. She has attended the Juniper Summer Writing Institute and has work published in BRUISER Mag, as well as a forthcoming poem in Rat's Ass Review. They love to write about their own personal experiences, as well as about queerness that can be found in history and mythology.